Buckingham Palace and Windsor Castle Day Trip from London
London, United Kingdom
Visit two of England's most royal attractions on this day trip combining Windsor Castle and Buckingham Palace. You'll be one of the first to enter Windsor Castle and discover centuries of royal history, before heading to Buckingham Palace, where you will be able to explore the rooms of this working palace at your leisure, soaking in the fine paintings, porcelain and furniture.
After an early start, you'll visit Windsor Castle, where more than 900 years of royal history await. Windsor Castle, the largest and oldest occupied castle in the world, is today one of the official residences of Her Majesty The Queen. Walk through the magnificent grounds and explore the State Apartments. If you're lucky you may catch the official Changing of the Guard or soak up the splendor of St. George's Chapel. After your visit to Windsor, you'll take a drive through Runnymede, where King John signed the Magna Carta.
Next, immerse yourself in the lavishly furnished rooms from the Royal Collection at Buckingham Palace! The palace hosts many official events and receptions held by the Queen, so areas are exclusively opened for limited time only during the summer so book early!
Buckingham Palace has served as the official London residence of Britain's sovereigns since 1837, and today it is the Queen's official residence. Take the audio tour and learn about the royal history. Your visit is independent and will conclude here so you can explore at leisure.
Diamonds: A Jubilee Celebration
This spectacular exhibition shows the many ways in which diamonds have been used by British monarchs over the last 200 years. It includes a number of The Queen’s personal jewels - those inherited by Her Majesty or acquired during her reign. The exhibition reveals how many of these extraordinary stones have undergone a number of transformations, having been re-cut or incorporated into new settings during their fascinating history.
This was truly the highlight of my grad trip, thank you!
Review by: JoseMaria M, October 2017
Great opulent castles. But kinda crowded and un-guided. Oh, and no pictures allowed inside!!!
Review by: Donna S, October 2017
The best tour of my life!
Review by: Lords of Monksbridge, October 2017
With my love of all things Royal imagine my delight when I discovered that Buckingham Palace was to be open whilst we were in the UK and that it was doubled up with Windsor was just the icing on the cake. Nothing I can say will convey the absolute brilliance of walking through the oldest inhabited Royal Palace in the world or the main London residence of Her Majesty. Windsor was incredible and to try and describe it would be pointless but I will say that the ice cream there was the best I have ever had. Similarly Buckingham Palace is simply breathtaking my only disappointment was that you couldn't take photos inside, which is understandable, but even that couldn't dampen the absolute thrill I got from being there. If you get the chance to see both then don't miss it. Bath in the glory of two of the most beautiful palaces/castles in the world.
Review by: Susan K, September 2017
Loved Windsor Palace and the town. Buckingham Palace was amazing and very happy to be in London when the Queen wasn't! My only criticism of this tour was the lack of communication by the tour guides. We were told to be at the bus by 12:30pm after visiting Windsor Castle. Therefore, most of us took precious time to eat lunch because we knew Buckingham would be next. When we arrived at Buckingham, the guide said we had 1 hour to eat lunch before our tour. That was 1 hour we could have used at Windsor Castle instead of eating. We were not able to finish seeing Windsor Castle and that was extremely disturbing. In addition, the guide took us to Buckingham, gave us our tickets, and left. She never said that we were on our own after that. Of course, we figured it out but customer service was lacking on this particular tour.
Review by: William F, September 2017
Excellent! Perfect opportunity to view and tour both palaces.
Review by: Michelle, September 2017
The tour was good but for the Windsor Castle we had to do a big line to enter, even if advised in the description of the tour that you will skip the lines. The Buckingham Palace was great.
Review by: greg l, September 2017
Absolutely fabulous, would do it again.
Review by: jmjohnsonnwa, September 2017
Loved both Buckingham and Windsor! The tour guide was average-a little scatterbrained.
Review by: Janet R, August 2017
The trip was great! The only drawback was that I had to wait an hour between Windsor Castle and Buckingham Palace outside of Buckingham Palace before going in. This could've maybe been planned a bit better to have a bit more time at Windsor Castle. However, everything else went very smoothly.
Review by: crispina m, August 2017
Both Castles were great. 5 star would have been given if we are allowed to take photos. We are only allowed in certain areas so why not let us take photos. Considering that it cost us more or less 100AU each person per castle what proof have we go to show that we have actually been in it? So much history and if we have to listen to the whole audio we would need two days. Hubby was not fuss but I loved it. I would love to send photos but nothing to show that we actually are inside the castle.
Review by: Burnell H, January 2017
Wonderful Day - Kind of confusing getting started!
Review by: Robert S, October 2016
Tour was excellent but wished there more time allowed to spend in the rooms.
Review by: Praveena L, October 2016
The tour timing wasnt well planned. No time was left for lunch between the Windsor castle morning trip and the drive back to Buckingham palace.
Review by: Carla, October 2016
This is a really great trip to both castles. I would just warn people who are unable to walk far distances that this may not be a great selection. There is a 15 minute walk uphill just to get to Windsor castle from the bus lot and a 10 minute walk after Buckingham palace just to get off the palace grounds. For a tour that is already heavy on the walking, the extra miles add up quickly.
Review by: pyt8r, September 2016
Our guide was very knowlegeable about windsor castle and buckingham palace while on the bus but we were left To explore as we reached our destination on our own and just go back to the bus at a designated time. He told us that there was no scheduled changing of the guard at buckingham palace on the day of the tour but unfortunately, i was also in buckingham palace the day before and read the notice posted that 'changing of the guard tomorrow at 1130am'. I missed the changing of the guard on the 2 bookings i made with Viator.com.
Review by: Virginia S. G, September 2016
We had an excellent guide for Windsor Castle. She gave us a lot of background information on the way there and was very friendly and helpful. We had a different guide at Buckingham Palace. We had to wait 15 or 20 minutes before we were allowed to enter the palace. Other than that, we enjoyed the Buckingham Palace tour.
Review by: Carol A, September 2016
The trip to Windsor was good. Got to see the changing of the guard. Our guide was entertaining, but when we got to Buckingham, we had to wait for another guide with our passes, and that was a little confusing to the point of feeling as if one had been abandoned.
Review by: dfischercurling, August 2016
The tours were fantastic. There was confusion meeting at Victoria Coach Station with different tours departing from same location. A little disappointed that after Buckingham tour we exit far gate and then have to find our way back to train or own hotels. Hoping this will not happen in Abu Dhabi on my next booked tour or I won't be booking in Austrailia or Hawaii during this trip.
Review by: Philip B, August 2016
Informative tour guide on the Windsor trip.
Review by: RichardD, August 2016
The tour guide on the coach from London to Windsor Castle was very good and knowledgeable and the coach was very comfortable. The only recommendation I would make as the Buckingham Palce tour is excellent, it could be done as soon as your get back from Windsor rather than having a hour break for lunch. I am sure that there are group bookings have to be made for Buckingham Palace but as it is self guided this should be easy to resolve or as least offer the choice.
Review by: Cathy R, August 2016
Decided to do a tour to both the Castle and the Palace as we were travelling with an elderly lady who tired easily. Guide on the coach was very informative. Was able to see changing of the guard at Windsor Castle which is smaller but easier to see...although selfie sticks should be banned. Be warned that guides are not allowed inside either the Castle or the Palace State Apartments, so you are given advise and time to view at leisure. It should also be made clear that there are numerous steps to get from the coach park to the Castle at Windsor as many of the elderly were not advised and found it extremely difficult to cope as there is no alternative to the stairs over the railway line. Overall a good tour.
Review by: maree g, August 2016
The actual tours were self guided._br/_ The only part that had a guide was to get tickets to the venues._br/_ They were 15 minutes later picking us up, then we had to wait for the next bus at the depot._br/_ Once on the road we were told no meals included and NO guided tours allowed in the venues, we could have gone on our own, at this stage._br/_ Windsor Castle and Buckingham Palace were great, but there was no guide for any of this._br/_ The advert for the tour stated - cut the queues - we had to wait and wait._br/_ Not worth the money we paid for the tour, would have saved time and money by just doing ourselves. The train to Windsor would have been interesting, rather than waiting in the bus station after them being late, and the Palace tour was self guided!!!_br/_ Not sure what we paid for._br/_ As I said venues great, well worth the time, but disappointened with the - Tour - look at other options.
Review by: inday, August 2016
WILL NOT USE THE COMPANY PREMIUM TOURS EVER. WATCH OUT PEOPLE, MAKE SURE WHEN YOU BOOK FROM VIATOR , ASK NOT TO USE PREMIUM TOURS ,THEY ARE NOT PREMIUM THEY ARE SUBSTANDARD.
Review by: Sharon C, August 2016
The tour of Windsor Castle and Buckingham Palace were a good value for the money. The booking of the tour left a lot to be desired. We were given a total of three different pick-up locations - including notification of the third pick-up location less than 12 hours before we were flying to England. This required a flurry of emails to clarify the pick-up point. We did get picked up finally at location 2. Depending upon your bus driver, you may or may not be allowed to have beverages on the bus. We had to discard any liquids for the first bus the second bus allowed any and all liquids. The tour provides Fast Track tickets which allowed you to skip the long lines at both sites. We had ample time to tour Windsor Castle and the tour guide was very informative during the bus ride to reach Windsor Castle. Don't get food at this stop! Many of us purchased a lunch at the end of the Windsor Castle tour to eat on the bus ride back to Buckingham Palace, only to find out upon arrival to Buckingham Palace that an hour had been allotted for lunch and we could not start our tour until the hour had passed. The tour of Buckingham Palace is on your own no tour guide goes inside. There is an electronic guide that was very helpful.
Review by: mario p, August 2016
Very disappointing- The guide didn't offer much information on the bus ride to Windsor nor on the way back. At Buckingham, we had a switch of guides and the 2nd guide just handed us tickets. For the money it would have been nice to at least have a guide who really took pride in their job and was less of a babysitter more of a teacher.
Review by: SURYA P, August 2016
Pick up was messed, we never knew we had to re-confirm 24 hours prior. Luckily we went to Victoria bus station and got picked up. Tour coordinator for Windsor castle was great. There is no drop, you get left out at Buckingham palace for your own evening hours.
Review by: deliver2deb, November 2015
Loved it Windsor was everything you would expect. Buck palace was fabulous. Did not expect the palace to be so beautiful. The tour was well organised but we had a late start and the 'guide' on the bus picking us up was extremely rude and sarcastic with a passenger who was getting concerned we might miss the connection. Made the first part of the day very uncomfortable.
Review by: Sonja M, October 2015
The first part of the tour we spent at Windsor castle it was a great experiance walking around the castle, then we got an opportunity to walk through Buckingham Palace it was great experiance.
Review by: Lynda C, October 2015
The morning part of the trip to Windsor Castle was excellent, along with our guide, however the afternoon part of the trip to Buckingham Palace was a disaster. The new guide just stood there, ticked our names off, then asked us all to sit on some seats and left us. We had absolutely no idea as to what was going on. So not totally a great day.
Review by: Nina Oleg, October 2015
The trip is amazing! Very interesting. The guides are not allowed in either of the residences, only audio guides provided. Definitely recommend!
Review by: Margaret H, September 2015
Very enjoyable tour with a well informed tour guide Suzanne. Spending time in both Windsor Castle and Buckingham Palace was a highlight during my visit to London
Review by: Craig M, September 2015
Only downside was the 1 hour gap once we arrived at Buckingham. We would have rather gone right away to Buckingham and not had the break period.
Review by: Verne J B, September 2015
Loved both sites but disappointed that we were unable to see the front of the palace. After our tour, we inquired how to get to the front and following their instructions, we ended up with a wall, barbed wire and buildings blocking our access.
Review by: Laurette R, September 2015
This was a nice tour, the guide was interesting with his commentary on the way to Windsor and while waiting in line. It was a little weird at the end, they dropped us off at Buckingham Palace to a new guide but he doesn't go on the tour with you so not sure what the point of that was.
Review by: Clinton M, September 2015
Loved it.
Review by: Alberta Geyer G, September 2015
Convenient pick up at hotel took us to the coach station were we boarded a bus to Windsor Castle. Windsor Castle, the grounds, St. Georges chapel, the quaint surrounding town are not to be missed. Then we headed to Buckingham Palace where we had time to grab lunch before entry and spend as much time there as we wanted. Our guide on the bus was very informative and amusing, making it quite a pleasant ride.
Review by: Colleen S, August 2015
The morning pickup was ok, but the bus terminal was chaotic._br/_
The time at Balmoral eaten away lining up to enter, pretty rushed._br/_
All the BUCKINGHAM palace tour lovely but except for getting us in , it is a self tour.
Review by: David S, August 2015
Great tour, and great guide! Everything about this tour was great, with the exception of the weather. We had requested a sunny day, but I guess that part of our request was denied!
Review by: Damien M, August 2015
Excellent tour.
Review by: Mary C. M, August 2015
Could have just as easily done this one on our own with less hassle.
Review by: joshchas, August 2015
I paid Viator for this tour. When I got home, I see an additional charge of 156.15 that was charged to my card on 8/12/15 by Victoria Coach Stn. 21. Can anyone tell me what this is all about
Review by: azbares, August 2015
The bus was late getting to Windsor due to a traffic accident so a detour was necessary. The line to get into Windsor took about an hour, no quick access. The time at Windsor was OK. When we arrived at Buckingham Palace we had 25 minutes to have lunch on our own. The neighborhood at the rear and side of the palace has quite limited quick meal opportunities. The tour is about the only way to do both palaces in 1 day but some people on our tour were to do the Tower of London also. Good Luck
Review by: yhuskey, October 2014
Very interesting! Pay attention when booking tours tho'. Got two trips to Windsor Castle (my own fault) and probably would have booked differently if I had been paying more attention!
Review by: Arlene S, October 2014
Beautiful without a doubt. I was VERY DISAPPOINTED in the journey. We were supposed to have a private coach/van accommodating about pick us up at our hotel. I received an email before we left Canada that the pick up point had been changed to Victoria Coach Station, which was fine as we were right there, but it wasn't a private van it was a full size. That really annoyed me. That's not what I paid for. But in the mean time, Windsor Castle and Buckingham Palace are incredible to see. Just a note, there is full on airport type security at the entrances of both sites. So there is a slow line up to get in, but that's to be expected these days I guess.
Review by: Phyllis H, October 2014
The trip to Windsor Castle was great. We arrived early and avoided the queues. However, we were dropped off two hours early at Buckingham Palace and were told to wait for our guide. He was late and simply walked us to the entrance. It would have been quicker to have gone on our own.
Review by: Angela K, October 2014
The palace tour was excellent _br/_
It was great to see all the palace from the inside _br/_
We were a bit disappointed with the wait in line at Windsor castle it took nearly an hour to get in and then we didn't have enough time inside_br/_
We were under the impression that it was a skip the line tour _br/_
But once we were in it was great
Review by: robyn, October 2014
Great tour interesting to see both places. We had a great tour operator Steve who told us some extra interesting anecdotes. Well worth it.
Review by: frenchj, October 2014
I totally recommend this tour.
Review by: mjb22, September 2014
This tour was WELL WORTH the money. The tour guide Frank (used to work for BBC) was extremely helpful, informative and an overall GREAT Host!! I would HIGHLY recommend this excursion
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